Tan See Leng on studies of foreign workforce policies and their impact

One key finding of internal studies on foreign workforce policies is that tightening access to lower-skilled foreign workers is more likely to have a positive impact on local employment outcomes, compared with tightening access to higher-skilled foreign workers. Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said this in Parliament on Monday (Feb 27) in reply to an MP’s questions. He pointed out that this finding has informed Singapore’s approach in remaining open to high-quality foreign professionals while maintaining a disciplined stance in regulating the number of work permit holders through quotas and levies. He noted, however, that such studies have limitations and need to be interpreted carefully alongside other sources of information such as recent labour market statistics, as well as industry feedback.